Rose Weasley and the New Order
by kellythefangirl
Summary: The first book in a series following the next generation during their time at Hogwarts. Albus, Rose, James, and Scorpius find that their parents' past could be dangerous for them as well-and that there's a threat older than they know emerging that's looking for them.
1. The Unexpected Gryffindor

**Hi! So this is the first chapter... I'm just writing it like a book, and I'll post one chapter every two weeks, so follow this story please! And clearly, I do not own Harry Potter... This starts directly after the epilogue in the Deathly Hallows... thanks for reading!**

CHAPTER 1

THE UNEXPECTED GRYFFINDOR

Rose watched their parents wave goodbye from the train window until she couldn't see the platform anymore. She saw Uncle Harry touch his forehead lightly, a habit for him. But the scar was just a scar now; not the mark of dark magic it had been so many years before. Of course, Rose had heard the stories from her mother and father about how they and the rest of the generation before hers had fought Voldemort (the rest of the world still said You-Know-Who but no one in their family, especially not Uncle Harry, would allow them to). But she hadn't completely believed them until everyone at Platform 9 ¾ had openly stared at them as they boarded the train. She sat down with James and Al, taking a seat by the window and watching as the train sped past London and into the countryside.

Several hours later, Rose heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Weasley," it said, and Rose looked up in astonishment to see her cousin Dominique.

"Min? I thought you were going to Beauxbatons!" she exclaimed.

"Ugh. That dreadful snobby place? It was Mum's idea all along. After Vicky went to Hogwarts she freaked and exclaimed I was going to Beauxbatons. Of course, I was five at the time..." Min sighed in disbelief at her mother. "Hogwarts wanted me, though, so Dad stepped in and told me I could go here." Rose believed that—Aunt Fleur had always shown a particular disdain for Hogwarts. But in the rest of the Weasley houses, no other school was an option, and Rose was glad of it, too.

James sat up, suddenly seeming to notice who had joined them in the compartment and snapping out of the stupor he had entered after his fifth Chocolate Frog, and said loudly, so the compartment across from them turned to look, "Your sister was snogging Teddy!"

"Teddy Lupin?" Min asked incredulously. James nodded. "That's brilliant!" James slumped back down, obviously upset he had gotten yet another positive reaction.

"Hi, Min. Have you seen Lucy and Molly?" Al asked her.

"They're down the hall. Fawning over Molly's prefect badge," Min told them, rolling her eyes.

"Like father like daughter," Fred, Aunt Angelina and Uncle George's son, said as he passed their window. Uncle Percy had, according to Rose's dad, always been as serious and ambitious as he was now.

The four of them sat in their compartment eating Bertie Bott's, effective entertainment due to Al's continuing bad luck, until the compartment door slid slowly open again.

"So, you're the Weasleys and the Potters?" Rose looked towards the source of the words and found a rather tall boy their age with blond hair and ice blue eyes. She immediately recognized him from the platform. He was already in Hogwarts robes and was looking expectantly at them.

"And you're Scorpius Malfoy," James said, standing up.

"Yes."

"James Potter."

"I know who you are," he said, smiling a little. "And you're Albus Potter," he added, looking at Al, "And you're a Weasley but I don't know your name," he said to Min, and then he turned to Rose. "So you must be Rose Weasley," he said, looking directly at her. Rose looked back at him. She knew about the age-old Malfoy-Weasley rivalry but she had no reason to hate him...yet.

"Hello," she said pleasantly. James looked surprised.

"Mind if I sit here?" Scorpius asked.

"There's no room," James said quickly, glaring at him.

"Well if there wasn't rubbish everywhere," Al said, clearing the wrappers from one of the two remaining spaces. Scorpius sat down directly next to Rose.

"Do you know what house you'll be in?" Scorpius asked. Al fidgeted and looked at the floor.

"We'll probably all be in Gryffindor but with Aunt Hermione's brains Rose could be in Ravenclaw," Min said.

"Do you think you'll be in Slytherin, Scorpius?" Al asked him.

He looked down. "Probably."

"He'd want to be," James said. "Be surrounded by Death Eaters' kids. Purebloods."

"I don't care about that," he said, looking angry for a moment. James snorted in disbelief.

Rose decided to leave before another generation of a feud started. "Min and I are going to change in the next room," she said quickly and slipped out the door, pulling Min behind her. She saw Scorpius's eyes follow her until she reached the next compartment.

It was another half hour before they saw the castle. As Rose stared in awe at the huge Gothic structure Molly came inside their compartment. "We'll be there in ten minutes." Then she saw Scorpius. "What's a Malfoy doing here?"

"Oh, leave him alone," Rose said, annoyed, and everyone looked at her, surprised. Rose was surprised herself. The train slowly pulled into the station across the lake from Hogwarts. James and Molly left first, following Victiore, Lucy, and Fred to the carriages. The four first years wandered off the train, following the stream of nervous 11-year-olds to the front. They could hear a very large man Rose assumed was Hagrid shouting.

"First years with me!"

"How long has he been here?" Min asked.

"At least since Granddad was here," Rose said. "He's getting old, isn't he?"

"I'm perfectly well, thank you," Hagrid said indignantly. Rose felt her face grow hot until he winked. "Hello. You're Ron and Hermione's, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir," she said. He flinched.

"Sir? Please do not call me sir. Call me Hagrid! I've only gotten your Christmas cards since before you could talk. All of yours, mind you," he added, shaking his head. "You Weasleys. Never a shortage of Weasleys." Rose grinned. "And you!" he exclaimed, looking at Al. "Even if I didn't know you were coming—and I did—I would've recognized you a mile away! You look exactly like your dad!" Al smiled. "You're Bill's?" he asked Min. She nodded. "You three are with me!"

Rose looked back at Scorpius. He looked a little disappointed to be going to the castle separately. "I'll see you," she said and he smiled. Of course, she doubted she would. He would most likely be in Slytherin and she in Ravenclaw. But she knew she was the only one who'd been kind to him the whole day and she felt sorry for him.

She followed Hagrid and Al to the boats on the lake. The forty or so other first years filed into the other boats in groups of six but with Hagrid in their boat the entire space was filled by the four of them. Hagrid flicked a pink umbrella at each boat and one by one they began to move.

The castle was lit up from within what Rose guessed was the Great Hall. The boats glided smoothly across the water and they were probably there in fifteen minutes or so. When they arrived they were ushered into a quiet dark room. Suddenly, there were ghosts swirling around them. Some kids looked bored—almost certainly the kids who grew up in manors or old wizarding houses, both always full of ghosts. This included Scorpius, of course—this was probably the furthest he'd ever been from Malfoy Manor. Some kids were terrified—probably the Muggle-born kids who'd never seen a ghost before. "Lovely!" one of the ghosts said. "New students! Welcome of Hogwarts! I'm Sir Nicholas DeMimsy-Porpington. I do hope you are in Gryffindor!"

"Don't frighten them Nick!" a rather large monk said. "Look at them! Half of them are terrified I'm the Fat Friar. Ghost of Hufflepuff. I'm sure I will see some of you soon." Suddenly the doors flew open and everyone turned to face an elderly, stern-looking woman. She wore emerald green robes and glasses, as well as a large witch's hat.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall. I am headmistress of this school as well as the Transfiguration teacher. If you will follow me to the Great Hall we are ready for you."

"McGonagall? Wasn't she at the Battle of Hogwarts?" Rose whispered.

"Yeah. You're named after her, Rosie. Rose Minerva," Al replied. All the first years followed McGonagall through the large double doors in front of them. Over 400 older students already sat at the House tables. They were led down the main aisle to stand in a jumble in front of the Sorting Hat.

"As I'm sure most of you are aware, there are four houses: Gryffindor for the brave of heart; Ravenclaw for those who seek knowledge; Hufflepuff for the loyal and hardworking; and Slytherin for those who seek...greatness. You will each come up when I call your name and I will place the hat on your head; it will declare your House. Let us begin."

Rose took a deep breath. She knew that neither Gryffindor nor Ravenclaw were at all bad but she was still nervous. What if she was in Slytherin?

"Dominic Allan." Hufflepuff. A smattering of light applause came from the table on the left middle side.

"Collin Bones." Ravenclaw. Bigger applause from the middle right.

"Blake Collier." Gryffindor. This time there was a huge wave of cheers from the table far to the right.

"Emma Drake." Another Gryffindor.

"Adam Flinch-Fletchley." Hufflepuff.

"Declan Finnigan." Declan, Seamus Finnigan's son, was put in Gryffindor, as was his twin, Dylan.

"Devon Goyle." Rose heard a ton of whispering suddenly erupt. A Death Eater's son. Slytherin of course. He walked to the far left towards the cheering. More and more people were sorted as Rose grew more and more anxious. Then Ariana Longbottom was made a Gryffindor, followed by Alana Jordan (also Gryffindor) and Rose heard "Scorpius Malfoy." He sat down quietly and his eyes found her in the throng of children. She smiled encouragingly. The Hat took a long time before calling out, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table cheered, but not nearly as loudly as they had for all the others and the rest of the Hall whispered amongst themselves. Never had a Malfoy been in Gryffindor. But then again, Lucy was a Ravenclaw and before her every Weasley had been in Gryffindor. McGonagall called out: "Albus Potter." Rose watched—along with the rest of the Hall, which had gone completely silent—as Al made his way to the stool.

The Hat took a full five minutes, effectively naming Al as a Hatstall, before it called out, "Gryffindor!" Rose cheered for him as he went to the table and sat down next to Scorpius and Ariana. James high-fived him from across the table.

The Sorting continued. Amanda Thomas was put in Hufflepuff, and then McGonagall called, "Dominique Weasley." Min slowly sat down and the Sorting Hat seemed to pause for a moment before saying "Gryffindor." Cheers and then Rose was alone in the middle of the Hall.

"Rose Weasley." She walked quickly to the stool and sat down. The Hat was placed on her head. It immediately began to speak to her.

"Another Weasley? Good Lord, you're rabbits! All right...so...interesting. You are very clever... I remember your mother. She would have done fine in Ravenclaw... but she wanted Gryffindor... as I can see you also do. You're very brave as well... yes. You will have to be quite brave. I can tell. And where better to be brave than... GRYFFINDOR!" The Hall cheered as Rose took her seat, grinning. Plates of food appeared and the Feast began. Afterwards, the first years were directed to the prefects of their House; Gryffindor's was Molly. "Welcome to Gryffindor," she said. "Especially to my cousins. Now I'm supposed to show you to the common room; I bet you already met Nearly Headless Nick..." as she continued to talk Scorpius walked up behind Rose and Rose stopped listening to her cousin.

"Hi."

"Hi," she replied. "Didn't think I'd see you again."

He nodded. "Hat took a while with you. Why?"

"Took a while with you, too. Why'd it do that with you?" Rose countered.

"I asked you first." Rose was starting to see with her dad hated his.

"Deciding between this and Ravenclaw."

"So you're smart."

"Top of the class in Muggle primary school."

"Hope you didn't get used to that," he said, looking smug. They had begun to walk and now they were ascending what Molly said was the last staircase.

Rose turned around, eyebrows raised. "I wouldn't get so smug, Scorpius. I'm very competitive."

"So am I."

"Good," she said as they entered the common room. "You're on." They entered the room of warm fireplaces and red armchairs. Molly pointed to the staircases on her left and right. "Boys on the right, girls on the left." Rose walked up the stairs to one of the rooms marked FIRST YEAR GIRLS along with Min, Ariana, Emma, and Alana. They found five four-poster beds with their trunks already on them.

That night Rose didn't sleep well.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, she saw the inside of what see assumed to be the boys' dormitories. Scorpius looked nervous; Declan and Blake were asleep and Al was reading, but Dylan was walking towards the Malfoy boy's bed.

"Are you lost, Malfoy?" he asked, smirking. "Slytherin's in the dungeons. Fitting, don't you think?"

"Actually," Scorpius said quietly, "I have just as much right to be here as you do."

Dylan snorted. "Right. Actually, Malfoy, my dad was on Harry's side."

"Really? Because I heard that your dad caused a bit of a scene in their fifth year."

Dylan pulled out his wand. "I'd watch your mouth, Malfoy."

"Oh?" Scorpius raised his eyebrow and suddenly Rose feared for Dylan's safety.

"Yeah."

"Is that a challenge, Finnigan?"

"Expelliarmus!" Dylan shouted and Rose seethed in anger. She suddenly wondered why she was cheering for a Malfoy.

Though Dylan was angry, he was only a first year, and for a day at that; all the spell did was move Scorpius's wand a bit in his hand. Scorpius grinned and said calmly, "Petrificus totalus." Dylan froze completely and fell to the ground. Al had stopped reading and was now gaping in awe.

"I'll let him go in the morning," Scorpius said quietly but for some reason Rose knew he was furious. "Albus, would you help me get him into bed?"

Al got up, still dumbstruck. "Uh, it's just Al." He took Dylan's feet and Scorpius took his shoulders. Then they both wordlessly put Dylan in his bed and climbed into their own ones. Rose had no idea why she saw what she did but she knew one thing: the Malfoy boy had not come to school helpless.


	2. The Potions Master

**Hi! Chapter 2! So I'm going to do this every week instead of every other week... unless I have absolutely no time that week but let's hope that doesn't happen. Clearly I am not J.K. Rowling and I don't own any of this. So I hope you like it and... yeah. Bye!**

CHAPTER 2

THE POTIONS MASTER

"Wake up Rose!" Min half-shouted the next morning. Rose moaned and sat up groggily. "We've got to get to breakfast!" Rose was rushed into her uniform and quickly forced her unruly red hair into a braid as her cousin dragged her through the portrait hole. "We get our schedules now," Min said. "I hear our classes are with Slytherin. Horrible I know. But maybe Malfoy will feel at home."

Rose sighed as they ran down the first staircase. After a lot of bickering and some twenty minutes of wandering, they finally found the Great Hall. Min and Rose sat down at the Gryffindor table across from Al who surprisingly was sitting directly next to Scorpius. Though after what Rose saw last night she suspected it may be out of fear—or possibly respect, Rose was never able to read her cousin's feelings all that well.

"Morning," Scorpius told her when she sat down.

"Ready for classes?" Rose asked, remembering her challenge. He nodded. Min and All looked at each other, seemingly asking each other something. Rose had no idea what.

"Schedules," McGonagall said as she handed each of them one. Min looked at hers, then at Al's.

"It's the same for all of us," she said.

"All the Gryffindors and Slytherins in first year have the same schedule," McGonagall told them. After she left, Rose looked at hers.

First-Year Gryffindor-Slytherin Schedule

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY—Transfiguration (McGonagall) 10:00, Lunch 12:00, Potions (Orion) 13:00, Defense Against the Dark Arts (Rudomin) 15:00

TUESDAY, THURSDAY—Charms (Flitwick) 10:00, Lunch 12:00, Herbology (Longbottom) 13:00, History of Magic (Binns) 15:00

FRIDAY—Charms (Flitwick) 10:00, Herbology (Longbottom) 11:00, Lunch 12:00, History of Magic (Binns) 13:00, Transfiguration (McGonagall) 14:00, Potions (Orion) 15:00, Defense Against the Dark Arts (Rudomin) 16:00

ASTRONOMY (SINISTRA) IS IN THE TALLEST TOWER AT 23:00 ON FRIDAYS

GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH PRACTICE: MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, AND FRIDAYS 18:00-19:30

SLYTHERIN QUIDDITCH PRACTICE: TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND SUNDAYS 18:00-19:30

QUIDDITCH GAMES: EVERY THIRD SATURDAY, 10:00

NOTE: FIRST MONDAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AT 19:00 MANDATORY FLYING LESSONS TAKE PLACE IN THE SOUTH COURTYARD

GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS SEPTEMBER 3, 19:00

SLYTHERIN QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS SEPTEMBER 4, 19:00

OPTIONAL STUDY HALLS HELD IN THE GREAT HALL, 19:00-21:00

"Flying lessons?" Al said. "Who needs flying lessons? Who hasn't played Quidditch before?"

"Muggle-borns?" Min reminded him. "And people who don't have enough cousins to make up two teams?"

Al muttered something unintelligible. "What was that, Potter?" Min asked, half-joking.

"I'm going to be rubbish at Potions," someone muttered miserably as they sat down. Alana Jordan.

"I think I'll manage it. What about you, Weasley?" Scorpius asked Rose pointedly.

"I'll be better," she said coolly. "What about flying, Malfoy? Gonna make the team?"

"Undoubtedly," he replied.

"My uncle's the reason they're letting first years try out."

"Doesn't mean you're any good."

"I've been playing since I was six, Malfoy. Who did you play with? The trees?"

Min snickered. Scorpius's face turned red and Rose immediately knew she had hit a nerve.

"If you're done bragging, Transfiguration's in ten minutes and we don't know where it is," Al interjected and they all immediately made a break for the door.

Min, Alana, and Scorpius found the room in plenty of time but they lost Al and Rose when the third staircase moved. The two of them ran into Transfiguration five minutes late. McGonagall looked up from her desk and sighed. "Mr. Potter. Miss Weasley. I see you have inherited your fathers' complete lack of time management. Take your seats." Al sat down next to Ariana, leaving Rose the only empty seat next to Scorpius. She sat down in a huff. He smirked and she glared at him.

In Transfiguration they had to turn a quill into a twig. Rose managed to make hers a wooden quill but Scorpius didn't make any progress at all. They walked to lunch at the end of class, smug and furious respectively.

Next was Potions, at one p.m. in the dungeons.

"I am Professor Orion," the Potions master told them. He was tall with dark hair and equally dark eyes. "This is a scientific class so I am sure there will be some who have a certain aptitude and some who... don't. I understand this is a difficult class, therefore this class will be leniently graded. However, I know the difference between struggling and not trying. Today, you are to attempt a Cure for Boils. I trust you have all purchased more than enough ingredients. The instructions are on the board. I will be taking attendance as you work. You may begin." Rose got the impression he did not harbor a particular fondness for children.

"Bletchley, Laura. Boot, Benjamin. Collier, Blake. Drake, Emma. Finnigan, Declan..." Orion continued to call names until he stopped at Ariana. He sighed a bit. "Your father is the Herbology professor, is he not?" he asked her.

"Yes, sir," she said, slightly nervous-sounding.

"I see. MacDougal, Anna." Ariana breathed a sigh of relief. Orion also stopped at "Malfoy, Scorpius." He looked up. "Your father, I understand, was quite the impressive Potions student."

"He never told me, sir," Scorpius said smoothly. Rose rolled her eyes. He was either telling the truth—doubtful—or he was going to pretend to be modest so he could 'surprise' everyone later. She was starting to hate him. The problem was that most of it wasn't the reasons her dad hated the Malfoys...he was just irritating. And competition for top of the class. Which infuriated Rose because it made her feel shallow. She looked down into her cauldron. "Albus Potter," Orion said, and Rose waited for him to stop but he continued down the list, leaving Al looking incredibly grateful. "Pucey, Walter. Rae, Lexa..." On and on until finally he said, "Weasley, Dominique. Weasley, Rose," and put down the attendance sheet. At Rose and Min's names, "Rae, Lexa", who was sitting right behind Scorpius and Rose, made an audible noise of disgust.

"Got a problem?" Scorpius asked harshly, spinning around to look at her. Lexa Rae snickered.

"With your little blood traitor girlfriend, Scorp? Yeah, a bit of one."

Scorpius looked furious. "Lex, I have to put up with you when you come over but for God's sake—"

"What? Your family thinks the same thing. And I'd watch your step, Malfoy, because if you make me mad, I might just tell your father you're in Gryffindor." And with that, she returned to her potion.

"What was that?" Rose asked Scorpius.

All he said was, "You're crushing the fangs wrong." He reached over her and did it himself. When his hand hit hers as he pulled away from her cauldron, there was a flash of light in Rose's head and she winced. For a second she could see a very young boy who could only be Scorpius sitting, silently and solemnly, in the window of a tower, looking out at the rain. And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Rose looked at him in shock, and he mirrored her expression for a split second before quickly looking away. He was silent for the rest of the period; he didn't even protest when Orion gave her higher marks than him.

After they left the classroom, Rose tried to make it to the Defense classroom before he caught up with her but Scorpius was fast; he stopped her five rooms away, in the slowly thinning corridor. She turned around, raised her eyebrows, and crossed her arms around her books. Rose was highly aware that she looked very much like her mother and in that moment, for once, she didn't care if someone compared her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. She looked at him in disbelief. He looked genuinely concerned. Rose was beginning to think that there were many different Scorpius Malfoys with different personalities that were switching in with each other every few hours.

"Is she your friend?" she finally asked him, deciding not to bring up the... psychic episode, or whatever it was that had happened between them. Maybe she would check the library later...

"Uh...our parents are friends," he said. "But me and her? No, but she likes to think so."

"I just kind of thought no one thought like her anymore," she said quietly, her face burning as she realized she had betrayed the tough persona she was working hard to keep up...

Scorpius walked ahead of her and said, "I know. They're a bunch of bloody idiots. It's all rubbish, though. Obviously." He held the door open, and as Rose stepped through, he said, "That's why I asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Gryffindor."


	3. The Rivalry

**I don't own this stuff. But I do like to write about it. So yeah. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 3

THE RIVALRY

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the last class of the day, apart from the flying lessons which Rose knew would just become the Scorpius vs. Rose flying competition. The two of them entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and sat right at the front, across the aisle of desks from Al and Min, who were having an apparently enthralling conversation because they didn't notice Rose and Scorpius sit down. Rose ignored him until the teacher entered the room. He was a fairly short man with dark hair and gray eyes. He stood up and looked over the class.

"My name is Professor Rudomin. I've heard we have a large number of... unusual students in this class. I've heard," he continued in a quiet voice, walking around the room, "that a great number of your parents were involved in the Battle of Hogwarts. Especially one of you...Mr. Albus Severus Potter? Where are you?"

Al looked up, startled. "R-right here, sir."

"I'm sure all of you are aware that Mr. Potter's father was slightly inclined to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Rudomin said, causing a small amount of chuckling throughout the classroom. "What I would like to see," Rudomin continued, "is whether or not Albus has inherited the same skill. But I trust there are many of you here who have nearly equal prominence to live up to. I am to be the one to teach you how." Rose couldn't help a small smile that formed on her lips as she listened.

"Today we will be learning the Full Body Bind. The incantation is 'Petrificus totalus'." Rose gasped and quickly covered her mouth. She glanced at Scorpius, who was looking at her with an innocent expression. That little... she thought angrily. "You will partner with the other student at your desk." Of course. "The wand motion is a rapid up-and-down flick. Again: 'Petrificus Totalus.' I will be walking around to perform the counter spell once you have succeeded. You are to call me immediately when it works. As soon as both of you complete the curse, you may talk quietly for the remainder of class. You may begin."

Rose and Scorpius found an empty space in the floor. "Have you ever tried this before?" Scorpius asked her. She shook her head. And then she couldn't help herself.

"Guess you have. Enough times to scare Dylan out of his wits."

Scorpius looked surprised before quickly returning to his calm demeanor. "And who told you about that?"

"Al," Rose lied. Scorpius nodded and smiled.

"I'll go easy on you."

Rose was angry then. "Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted, flicking her wand aggressively. Scorpius was blasted on to the floor, his arms pinned to his side, eyes widened. Rose smiled smugly as Rudomin came to undo the spell.

"Impressive... are you mad at him or something?" the teacher asked incredulously. "Enemies already?" As Scorpius got up, groaning, Rose shrugged.

"More like rivals."

Rudomin smiled. "Malfoy and Weasley... some things never change. Ten points for Gryffindor." Scorpius turned to Rose as he walked away and she glared at him, only half-joking, refusing to be intimidated by this tall blond annoying little boy.

"That was... all right," he said. She gaped at him.

"More than all right!" she insisted. He shrugged.

"Petrificus totalus!" he called. Rose was blasted to the ground. She had never been jinxed before; the only magic that had ever been directed at her were common household spells. This was much less pleasant. She felt like she was bound everywhere with tight ropes. But she didn't feel like it was escapable. What a horrible feeling.

Scorpius smirked. "What would you do if I waited to call the teacher? Oh. Right, nothing. Because you can't move." Rose listed ways of slowly killing him in her head.

He sat down next to her, their hands brushing in the process, and he blinked just as she was continuing her list. "That's violent." Rose stared at him. How did he do that? "Wait...did I just...?" He ran to get Rudomin, who undid the jinx. Scorpius sat quietly in the corner, alone, for the rest of the class. But more than one time, Rose felt his eyes on hers as she read, trying to ignore him.

Dinner was awkward and silent, with Al and Min confused and Scorpius and Rose at a loss for words. Al finally broke the silence, and Min gave him a grateful look when he finally found the courage to speak. "Did something happen...?"

Rose and Scorpius both said, "No," at the same time. Min and Al looked at each other with expressions that clearly said, "Yeah, right."

"Well, um, flying lessons aren't for an hour, so I'm going to go study," Rose said.

"We don't have any homework the first week, Rosie—" Al called after her as she left the Hall. She didn't respond.

When she finally found the library, after asking three different people and getting lost once, she knocked on the door, and was greeted by a very elderly woman carrying three books. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'd like to read a book?" Rose said, slightly confused. "This is the library, isn't it?"

The woman's face softened. "Oh, yes, dear, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone until homework started. I'm Madam Pince. You are?"

"Rose Weasley," she said.

"A Weasley in the library by choice?" she asked. "You're Hermione Granger's daughter, aren't you?"

She smiled a little. "Yes."

"Your mother loved the charms books—would you like me to show you...?"

"Um, do you have anything on magical theories?"

Rose spent the next forty minutes poring over a book called The Magical Mind, trying to find something that said anything about psychic connections. She didn't, but the book interested her so she checked it out anyway, stuffing it in her bag before entering the Gryffindor common room to drop off her things.

"Where were you?" Al asked.

"The library," she said, running up the stairs and throwing her bag into her dorm room. Al shook his head and laughed.

"Are you turning into your mum?" he asked. She stuck her tongue out at him, and the two started towards the south courtyard. For once, they knew where something was, having seen it during the boat ride the previous night.

"Isn't Scorpius coming with us?" Al asked when they were halfway there.

Rose rolled her eyes. "That was before he went mute. He's very likely to be the single most irritating boy on the planet." Al nodded slowly, appearing to have inherited his father's inability to handle an argument.

"I have to be a better flyer," she said. Al raised his eyebrows.

"You're competing?"

"He told me he was going to be top of the class!" Rose said indignantly. Al rolled his eyes.

"You're too competitive."

"Imagine if we both get on the Quidditch team!" Rose groaned.

"Oh, you're going to get along if that happens," Al said quickly. "I'm not sacrificing the Quidditch Cup because you two are having a childish competition."

"Childish? _I'm_ being childish!" Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. Al calling_ her_ childish...

He sighed and ran further ahead. She continued at the same pace, arriving at flying lessons right on time. Scorpius was right there when she got here. Rose grabbed the only available broom, thankfully far away from her cousin and the Malfoy boy. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, nearly blowing Rose's eardrum out, and started the lesson. Rose didn't pay attention until she told them to mount their brooms. They all did so, some more reluctantly than others, and she blew her whistle again, telling them to race around the castle once. Immediately, Scorpius took off faster than a jet plane. Rose followed just as quickly, pushing hard to make the old school broom match his speed. He looked three feet back at her as they passed Ravenclaw tower and grinned. "Hey, Weasley! Having trouble?"

"You wish, Malfoy," she replied, not really knowing why they were suddenly speaking again but she guessed it had something to do with being hundreds of feet above the ground; it calmed her and she assumed it did the same for him. But now she wasn't calm, she was determined to win. She pushed even harder and inched past him slowly. As they passed the bridge across the lake to Hogsmeade he caught up again and neither of them knew who got there first; it was as close to a tie as any race Rose had ever been in. They circled back and landed expertly, both of them flushed and laughing. Scorpius dropped his broom, and their hands brushed again as he did so. Rose saw a flash of a little boy flying through a black wood, tears streaking behind him as he made the broom move faster and faster... she blinked and the image was gone. Scorpius inched away from her and she knew he knew what had happened. All Rose knew was that there was a connection between them, and she was going to find out why.


	4. Halloween

**Hello! Please review, follow, etc etc shameless plug blah blah blah... I don't own anything that isn't an OC... I hope you like it, bye! -Kelly**

CHAPTER 4

HALLOWEEN

5-9-16

Dear Mum,

Hogwarts is great—we all got in Gryffindor, I know for a fact Al was too embarrassed to write to anyone so I thought you'd like to know. I also thought Dad would like to know that I beat Scorpius Malfoy in every class...well, we're both pretty much the same in Defense but other than that...

Al was the only one in our year that got on the Quidditch team. He's terrified he won't be as good as his dad, so if you could get Uncle Harry to tell him it doesn't matter I think it'd help him.

We went to tea with Hagrid the other day... any tips on how to stomach the cakes?

I'm fine, don't worry about me. Tell Hugo hi for me.

Love, Rose

8-9-16

Dear Rose,

I'm happy for you—congratulations on Gryffindor! Have fun, love. I got Uncle Harry to write Al, and he's sending a Nimbus 3000 so he won't have to worry about the school broom on top of everything else. Your father wants me to gently encourage you to continue to beat Scorpius in everything; I think you should worry about your own studies. But I know you'll try to take both of our advice, so don't get in over your head, Rose. We love you!

Love, Mum

The next two months at Hogwarts progressed much the same as the first two days; with Scorpius and Rose continuing their rivalry and the occasional psychic episode. Rose spent hours in the library every weekend, trying to figure out the connection, but all she could find was vague entries on possible permanent Legilimency, and somehow she suspected that not even Scorpius could handle that at 11.

Halloween was when things got very interesting. The Great Hall was immersed in a gigantic feast, surrounded by levitating jack-o'-lanterns and a stormy sky. Rose looked up from her pumpkin cake to see Professor Orion go over to the Slytherin table and lead five students away; who they were Rose didn't see. But a few minutes after they left Al gripped the table with one hand and his head with the other.

"Are you all right, Al?" Scorpius asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm—I'm fine, it's just this like, weird mumbling sound in my head. It's all gurgled and stuff. I don't know. Probably just nervous about the Quidditch match next week. Pass the pudding," he said. Rose reluctantly gave it to him. As he ate, Scorpius looked at Rose and whispered, "Where did those Slytherins go with Orion?"

Rose shrugged. Scorpius sighed and glanced nervously at the door.

Later that night, Al was sleeping and Rose was reading in the common room, listening to Nearly Headless Nick's death day party still going on downstairs. When everyone but Rose was gone, Scorpius suddenly appeared in the dimly lit room and Rose almost dropped her book.

"What the—?" she asked in shock, and he held up a fist that disappeared when he shifted it.

"Invisibility Cloak," he said, grinning. When he saw her expression, he rolled his eyes. "Your uncle isn't the only one in the world who has one. This one won't last forever, though. Couple years at the most."

"Okay," she said slowly, putting her book on the coffee table in front of her, "why are you wearing it?"

"I was watching the door to the Slytherin dorm," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "That must have been _fascinating_."

"Well," he said, "they never came back."

She stood up immediately. "What? It's midnight!"

"I know! Where did they go?" he asked.

"Does it look like I know?!" Rose asked indignantly.

"I was going to find them," he said.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

"I thought you might want to come," he said, flashing a grin at her.

She hesitated before sighing. "All right, fine. But if I get expelled I'm going to hunt you down."

"Relax," he said, and threw the cloak over both of them. The two of them left through the portrait hole and crept towards the dungeons.

"I thought you said they didn't go back!" she hissed after they had been looking for twenty minutes with no luck. "Why are we here?"

"We should go to Orion's classroom, they could be there," he whispered back. So they crept down the hallway, and suddenly Scorpius dived behind a column in the corridor, pulling Rose with him. She noticed he didn't pull her by the hand—just as well, the last thing they needed was another connection.

"What?" she asked.

"I heard whispering," he said.

Then, Rose heard it, too. It sounded like gurgled whispering, like Al had described in the Great Hall earlier. Suddenly, they heard a vicious hiss. She recognized the sounds then.

A snake.

Scorpius put one of his arms in front of her protectively. She pushed it away, rolling her eyes. "Silent," he mouthed, and she nodded, terrified.

Al woke up, gasping. He couldn't believe what he'd seen. But he knew, somehow, that it wasn't a dream.

And there were people plotting to kill his family, somehow. This was what he'd feared; ever since he found out not all Death Eaters were convicted... he knew it would happen eventually.

He knew what he had to do. He grabbed his wand off the bedside table and ran downstairs—sure enough, Rose's book, still open, lied on the table. Al raced out of the portrait hole, heading straight for the Potions corridor.

Rose could hardly breathe, which was good if you could look at it a certain way, because the snake had less to hear.

"Rose, you have to calm down. They can smell fear," Scorpius breathed. They had slid down the wall and were sitting between two columns, still under the cloak, as the snake slept in the next room. He had put his arm around her a while ago, which she would have minded in pretty much any other circumstance. But she hated snakes so much that it was lucky she wasn't hyperventilating... yet.

She touched his hand, meaning to turn his wrist to see his watch, but instead was met with another psychic episode. This time she saw a five- or six-year-old boy, standing in Diagon Alley, looking across the aisle at something. She could see the tiny Scorpius's father, Draco Malfoy, behind them buying books; she knew where they were, Dervish and Banges. He was looking directly at a six-year-old Rose, whose mother was lifting her up to reach a book on the top shelf, both laughing. Draco turned the boy around and they left the shop, Draco saying something about how he shouldn't talk to the Weasleys when he was older, but the little Scorpius turned around to look at the laughing little Rose and smiled a little. Then Rose was back to the present in a flash.

He looked directly at her, looking for the first time terrified... of what? ...Her?

"That's private," he said stiffly, jerking his arm away from her, and Rose suddenly became very cold... and mad.

"Well, it's not as if I tried to see it, did I?" she said, too loud for the situation.

"I don't know what you're doing, but I want you to stop! And Al said he didn't tell you about that night, I don't know how you knew, but stop it! It's PRIVATE!"

"You are SO. THICK. I. DON'T. WANT. TO. BE. IN. YOUR. HEAD!" she shouted back. They both covered their mouths and gasped when they heard a startled and angry hiss from the Potions classroom.

"Well done, Weasley!" he whispered, his voice shaking.

"You shouted too!" she hissed. The snake moved into the middle of the hallway, turning its head this way and that. The snake stopped with its head directly in front of them. It was a cobra, a giant black one, and it raised up its head, hissing violently. Rose and Scorpius stood up, the cloak falling off as they did so.

And then Al ran in.

"Al, get out of here!" Rose shouted. Al looked incredibly freaked out, wildly running, still in his pajamas, waving his wand frantically.

And then he did something that made Rose scream.

He spoke in the gurgled whispers, too. And the snake understood him. They seemed to be having a conversation, until the cobra advanced towards him.

"Al!" Rose yelled, tugging against Scorpius, who was now holding her back, to get to her cousin.

And then a voice from above them: "STUPEFY!"

The snake lay still, its eyes glazed over, and McGonagall ran down the stairs, in a nightgown.

"What the devil were you three doing down here? Back to your rooms at once!" she said, looking absolutely stunned.

"That was impressive, Professor," Al said shakily.

"What? Oh, thank you, Potter. Bed! Before I give you detentions!" The three of them ran up the first staircase until they were sure she couldn't hear them. Then Scorpius turned to Al.

"You're a Parseltongue?!"

"No!" Al said. "The snake was speaking English!"

"No, it wasn't, Al," Rose said. "And you weren't either."

"It's not that big a surprise," Scorpius added. "I mean, your dad was, right?"

"I thought that was just the part of Vol—You-Know-Who in him back then."

"No, remember the garden snake when we were five? He scared the heck out of Molly!" Rose reminded him.

"Oh, yeah."

"And another thing," Scorpius said. "How did you know to come find us?"

"Um, I had a dream that you were in danger," Al said uncomfortably.

"Great," Rose groaned.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Touch his hand," she told him, gesturing to Scorpius. Al hesitantly tapped his hand. After a minute, he blinked.

"Was that you?" he asked.

"Yes, and I would appreciate if you keep the touching of my hands to a minimum, it's weird enough already with Rose—" he shut up and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor.

Al turned to Rose, aghast. "So we're all, like, connected or something?"

"I'm working on it," she said quickly. "I'd ignore all this as much as we can."

As they returned to their room, Scorpius said quietly, "We still never found the Slytherins."


	5. The Burrow

**Hello! Please review and I hope you like it! And I don't own any of it...**

CHAPTER 5

THE BURROW

But the Slytherins were in class the next day. And continued to be in class every day, completely fine and normal, until the start of winter break.

Scorpius was going to Norway with his parents for the holidays. Apparently he had some sort of family there. On the train on the way back, he asked her to sit with him in his compartment, which he had been occupying alone, for a little while.

She sat down across from him, nibbling on a Chocolate Frog, and said, "What do you want?"

He smirked. "Nice attitude."

"Sorry, but I'm kind of already on holiday, I don't want to do homework."

"Who said I wanted to do homework?"

"You never talk to me about anything else." She didn't add that she found that a little mean.

"What's it like?" he suddenly asked.

"What's what like?"

"Being in your family. Not...in mine."

She looked at him. He looked genuinely miserable to be going home. "Umm... the Burrow's really like the hub of our family. We all live pretty close together, all within a mile, and it's the countryside, so we don't really see much of anyone else—except Lorcan and Lysander, our friends, they live almost as close.

"Hugo and I live in the Burrow, the old house, now, with Al and James and Lily, and Gran and Granddad live with us. Uncle Percy's the Minister so he's got this gigantic mansion but it's right by the Burrow... Min, Victiore and Louis live next door, and Fred and Annie next door to them. We all constantly see each other, it's like we're one gigantic immediate family... oh, and Teddy Lupin's got this really small place close by. We drew a Quidditch pitch in the field behind us and we're always playing..." Rose stopped when she saw something in his eyes that made it look like he was about to cry. "Sorry."

"No, it just...sounds nice," he said quietly. Rose got up and left the compartment.

Before she left, she said, "Happy Christmas, Scorpius."

"Rosie!" Hugo's voice echoed through the platform when the train opened its doors. Rose sighed and laughed when she saw her mother secretly cast a Quieting Charm on her brother. When she got onto the platform herself, the nine-year-old almost tackled her.

"Hi, Hugo," she laughed. "Miss me?"

He nodded. James and Al sprinted off the train next, pushing right past Lily, trying to get to their car before the little girl hugged them in public no doubt. Rose thought of the problem with their plan directly before they did:

"Which one's ours?!"

"All the Ministry cars look the same!"

Rose's father laughed. Fred walked off the train, by now resigned to his eight-year-old sister's squealing after a long stay at Hogwarts, this being his third year. Molly and Lucy came off last, walking towards their parents... as soon as Victiore and Min got off the train and Louis began to chatter excitedly without stopping, they all walked to the Ministry cars Uncle Percy, Uncle Harry, and her dad managed to acquire. Lily had caught up to her brothers and Al mouthed 'Help me!' as Rose passed them.

Hugo and Rose followed their parents to the second car in the line. Her mother slid into the driver's seat with one of her 'do-not-even-think-about-arguing-with-me' looks. But their father did so anyway.

"I _can_ drive now, Hermione," he said, "I passed the driver's test."

She sighed. "You passed it by Confunding the examiner. Yes, Harry told me about that!" she exclaimed when he started to protest.

"Why would he do that?" their father said.

"Because he cares about the safety of children, Ronald!"

"Er, Mum? Aunt Fleur is honking her horn at you..."

"Well, Aunt Fleur will have to be patient," their mother said. Rose gulped—her mother had never really liked Aunt Fleur.

"How was school, Rosie?" her dad asked when her mum began to drive.

"Fine," she said. "The Potions master doesn't really like kids." She decided not to add the releasing of a cobra to his profile in her parents' minds.

"Maybe that's a job requirement," her dad chuckled and her mum sighed.

"So Al's on the Quidditch team? How's Gryffindor doing?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, they're doing great. He's the Seeker and they've won all three games they've been in so far."

"That's great. The Cannons...lost again."

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Ron, are you ever going to cheer on a good team? They haven't won the League since your dad was Rose's age!" their mum laughed.

"They're getting better!"

"Any new friends at school, Rosie?" their mum said quickly, changing the subject.

"Er, not really..." she said. "I mean, I knew so many people already."

"Well, I know, but any Muggle-born kids or something?"

"I don't know, Mum, not really." She decided Scorpius was also someone she didn't want to mention, but she also hated him a bit too much to be friends. Even after the snake thing...

"That's fine, you did know a lot of them before I suppose. Just don't hole up in the library the whole time, Rose."

Their dad snorted. "Hypocrisy if I ever heard it."

"Watch it, Ronald."

Hugo whispered to Rose, "How are they even married?"

She shrugged. "Uncle Harry said they've always been like this."

They reached the Burrow and the surrounding houses about an hour later. Rose and Hugo ran inside and upstairs to see Gran and Granddad.

"Rosie!" Gran said, using her cane to walk across the second floor of the Burrow that she shared with her husband and give her granddaughter a hug. "You're allowed to show me a little magic, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, pulling her wand out. The new rules said common household spells were allowed outside of school, as well as defensive spells in emergencies. But a lot of the magic Rose had learned was under the Trace's radar, like the light spell and the locking spells.

"Hugo, go outside," she told him. He closed the door behind him and she concentrated on the lock, whispering, "Colloportus." The lock clicked shut and Hugo banged on the door.

"Oi! Lemme in!"

"Alohomora," she said, and the boy fell inside after the door that he had put all his weight on easily swung open. Gran laughed.

"Lights off, Hugo," Rose said.

"Fine," he grumbled, taking out the device his father had given him last year for his birthday; a small silver enchanted lighter. He flicked it on and the room was plunged into darkness.

"Lumos," Rose said, and her wand was illuminated with light at its tip. "Nox," she whispered and it went out. Hugo clicked the Deluminator again and the lights came back on.

"Wonderful, Rose!" Gran said.

"Where's Granddad?" Rose asked.

"Oh, he's asleep, you can show him at dinner," she said. "I think your younger cousins will be wanting to see you, though."

"Bye, Gran!" she said as she and Hugo went back downstairs and out into the yard. Lily squealed when she saw her.

"Rose!" she shrieked, zooming across the field on her broom before landing dangerously close to Hugo, making him jump back a foot.

"Hi, Lily," Rose replied, slowly taking the broom away to prevent further accidents.

"It's so boring here!" Lily complained. "I mean, sorry Hugo, but all you want to do is play Gobstones."

"It's fun!"

"Anyway!" Rose broke in. "Have you seen the twins anywhere?"

Lily grinned. "Lorcan was flying earlier. He smiled at me."

Hugo rolled his eyes. "He's right there, Lily."

Lily whipped around to see the blurry shape of the eight-year-old speeding towards them, yelling, "I can't stop!"

Rose was sure he was going to crash, but when he was six feet or so off the ground, they heard a woman yelling, "Arresto momentum!"

Lorcan froze, then fell the rest of the way, considerably cushioning the impact. Rose looked for the source of the noise, then seeing her mother leaning out their kitchen window, wand out. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley!" Lorcan called.

"Did your mother teach you how to fly yet, Lorcan?" her mother asked.

"It didn't look too hard. It wasn't really, until I had to stop," he said in a slightly airy voice that sounded very much like his mother. His mother, in fact, was rushing across the field on foot towards them.

When she reached them, she helped her son up and called to Rose's mother, "Thank you, Hermione, I couldn't remember the spell."

"No problem, Luna."

"Tea?"


	6. The Letter at Luna's

**Hey! Please review and uh like reading this chapter I guess? :) I don't own anything... have a good weekend! -Kelly**

CHAPTER 6

THE LETTER AT LUNA'S

Rose had been inside the Scamanders' house before, but she didn't think she would ever get used to it. The surrounding few hundred yards around the house seemed to give the impression that you were entering some sort of mystical land, due to the amount of magical plants and, she suspected, creatures in the area. The house was at least four floors tall, with no more than two or three rooms per floor, and was shaped like a chess rook more than anything else. The windows didn't seem to give an indication where the previous floor ended and where the next started. Rose sat across from her mother at the large, circular table near the door. Lorcan sat down next to Lily, making the little girl blush as red as her hair and giggle. Lorcan looked a little confused. Lysander came downstairs then, wearing large glasses that more than covered his eyes, with a bluish tint. His messy black hair mirrored his brother, but Lysander was much smaller. He was also covered in some form of goo.

Hugo wrinkled his noise. "Gosh, that stinks. What is it, Lysander?"

The boy looked down, seeming to remember suddenly that he was covered in the stuff. "Oh. I'm not really sure. It's probably from the plants."

"What plant?" Lily asked, holding her nose.

"No idea. Something on the third floor."

That didn't narrow things down much. Luna had become a wizarding naturalist and the third floor was a greenhouse of sorts, containing almost every kind of magical vegetation you could possibly think of.

Luna came into the room from the kitchen then, saw her son, and offhandedly got rid of the horrid stuff with a simple flick of her wand. "That's better. What was it?" she asked, looking more interested than disgusted. Lysander shrugged and his mother smiled. Hugo made a 'crazy' sign with his right hand and Lily glared at him. She was quite fond of Luna's boys, especially Lorcan, and Luna was her godmother, so the little girl took great offense to people calling the family odd. Lysander sat on his brother's other side, next to Hugo, and Luna took her seat next to Rose's mum.

"How's school, Rose?" Luna asked pleasantly.

"Uh, fine. Good," Rose said. "Nothing particularly exciting."

"Good," the two women said in unison, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Rose laughed uneasily with them, thinking of the snake incident. And Scorpius... she wondered if he'd reached the manor yet. She supposed so; she would have bet anything that Mr. Malfoy rejected any type of Muggle transport and used Side-Along Apparition to bring his son home, but she couldn't know for sure.

"You should all come to our Christmas party," Lorcan said. "Really, Mum makes lovely pies."

"Oh, you must come. There's never all that many guests, but if you bring your whole family it would be wonderful!" Luna said, suddenly excitedly. "And... tell Neville he's certainly invited as well," she added, her face growing soft. Hermione looked at her carefully. Rose knew her mother was judging just how glad her friend would be to see the professor; Rose knew they had dated for several years before breaking up for God knows what reason. Luna then married Rolf Scamander and had the twins, but Rolf had died two years ago in an incident with a hippogriff, and now whenever anyone mentions Neville she grows quiet and smiles to herself.

"I will," Hermione said. "And Rose, I'm sure you, Min, and Al can invite any of your friends, right, Luna?"

"Oh, yes, the more the merrier."

"That's okay, I mostly talk to Min and Al and Ariana, so they'll be coming anyway," Rose said, even though she would bet anything she'd spent more time with the Malfoy boy than any of them.

"Oh! Lorcan! Remember? Rose's letter!" Lysander said, and immediately the other boy ran up the staircase.

"What was that, boys?" Luna called up.

"Rose got mail sent here by mistake!" Lorcan called back, rushing back to the tearoom with a letter in hand. The envelope simply said,

ROSE

Rose tucked the letter in her pocket. "It's from Ariana, I'll read it later," she lied. She knew the handwriting. And it wasn't Neville's daughter, that was for sure. Later, when she was sure everyone was sleeping, she opened the letter.

Hey Weasley. I sent this to your friend's house on purpose, I figured no Weasley would like it very much that I was talking to you. Anyway. You know the snake thing? I need to talk to you about it. But I'm not gonna put it in a letter, so... you're set up for Floo, right? I'm coming at midnight. We can talk outside, right? See you then.

-S. M.

Rose checked the watch on her bedside table. It was midnight. Sure enough, she heard a whooshing noise coming from the living room downstairs. She crept down the steps to find Scorpius Malfoy, in a black collared shirt and slacks, leaning against their mantle, eating from a plate of Christmas biscuits he'd obviously gotten from the coffee table.

"Shouldn't you be in Norway?" Rose asked.

He looked up, startled. "Haven't left yet... just get the letter, did you?" he asked in a whisper, looking at the letter in her hand. She nodded, and gestured to him to go outside. He walked through the kitchen and out the door, Rose following him.

"My mum will notice they're gone," Rose said, staring at the plate.

He shrugged. "Blame Hugo."

Rose hesitated before taking one herself and returning the plate to the coffee table, coming back outside to find him sat at the picnic table in the yard. She sat across from him. "What was worth you gracing me with your presence? And why?" Rose asked him. He smirked.

"I think they're watching us. Maybe intercepting letters."

She raised her eyebrows. "They?"

"Orion and the Slytherins he took with him on Halloween."

"And you know this how?"

"I've been reading. A lot."

"Since you got home?"

"Yes."

"That bad, huh?"

He winced. "You have no idea. So Christmas is in two days."

"Yes."

"You're not exactly decorated."

Rose snorted. "And I'm sure you've been draping boughs of holly along the black fences surrounding your estate? Hanging a giant wreath from the top of the tower?"

Scorpius grinned. "You think you're joking but... my dad has this thing about looking like the caring, lovely people who happen to be disgustingly rich, instead of horrible people who happen to be disgustingly rich."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Did you just call your family horrible people?"

"I'd swear it in front of the Wizangemot," Scorpius confirmed.

"Anyway, what'd you find?" she asked, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"He's an Animagus," Scorpius said.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"Someone who can turn into an animal."

"And what does this have to do with the Slytherins?" Rose asked.

He squirmed. "Um, I'm working on it."

She rolled her eyes. "All right, why the heck did you make me meet you at midnight in my house to tell me one small personal thing about Orion?"

"Ummm...I was bored?"

"Out!"

"Okay!" The Malfoy boy went back inside, Rose at his heels, and stepped into their fire, surrounding himself with green flames. He looked at Rose and said, "Happy Christmas, Weasley," before disappearing back to the manor, leaving Rose alone again.


	7. The Christmas Party

**Hi! I have new followers! Yay! Go read my other things, they're cool too! I think. I hope. I'm biased, I don't know, but you should read them! There's another Harry Potter one ...please? :) Anyway, clearly I do not own Harry Potter. I hope you like the chapter! -Kelly **

CHAPTER 7

THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Rose woke up a few days later to Hugo bouncing on the edge of her bed. She groaned and threw a pillow at him, which he gleefully dodged while shouting, "IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Before she knew it, Rose was being dragged from her bed and out of her room, still in her nightgown, as well as down the stairs, until they reached the living room. The plate of cookies Scorpius had eaten half of, which their mother had grudgingly replaced after scolding a very confused Hugo, sat on the coffee table near the tree, which was now full of presents. Her parents already sat on the couch, drinking tea and looking very tired, along with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, and Rose suspected Hugo had just done the same to them. James came downstairs then with Lily pulling him by the sleeve of his robe, looking just as excited as Hugo. Al came stumbling in after them. Hugo immediately ripped into the first one he saw addressed to him, from their grandparents. He made a disgusted face when he saw the contents of the package: one of the infamous Weasley sweaters, marked with a large golden 'H'. Their mother looked at him with an expectant expression.

"What?" Hugo asked.

"You're wearing it."

"Ugh, do I really have to?"

"Do you want to hurt your gran's feelings?"

"...no..." he grumbled, pulling it reluctantly over his head. Rose found hers and put it on, running upstairs to get jeans as well. They continued to open packages, most of them candy, and all the Weasley and Potter children played chess until eleven, when Rose's mother pulled her aside.

"I want you to have something," she said in a whisper. "I've kept it since I was thirteen years old. I used to use it to get to classes, but it saved our lives once, and... well, I want you to have it." Hermione took a small golden hourglass, connected to gyrating circles on a golden chain, and handed it to Rose. "It's called a Time-Turner. If you turn it to the left, it will take you back in time one hour. But you have to promise me, Rose, that you will only use it for your protection, do you understand? Be very, very careful with it. All right?" Rose nodded, staring at the little hourglass. Suddenly, James and Al came up behind her and grabbed one arm each. They pulled her to James's room on the top floor and shut the door.

"You'll never believe what my mum gave me," she said immediately.

"Wanna bet?" Al said, raising his eyebrows. "Show her, James."

"Look at this!" the older boy exclaimed, pulling out a blank piece of parchment. Rose raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"A bit of parchment? I got a Time-Turner. I win."

"Not just yet," James said, a gleam in his eye. He took out his wand, tapped it, and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Before her eyes, ink burst forth from inside the paper and made elaborate designs that read,

_Mssrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Present_

_The Marauder's Map_

"What is it?" Rose asked in a whisper, gaping in awe at the clearly magical gift.

"It's a complete map of Hogwarts. And look!" Al said, as James opened it, pointing to a little moving dot near the south wing.

Rose read aloud, "Minerva McGonagall..." she looked up in surprise. "It shows people, too?"

James nodded excitedly, then said, "Show her your gift, Al."

Al fished in his bag until he pulled out a very dark-looking embroidered cloak and draped it around himself. He suddenly looked annoyed, said, "Oh, wrong side," and flipped it over. Immediately, only his head remained.

"An invisibility cloak?" Rose asked.

"_The_ Invisibility Cloak," James corrected her.

"No way."

"Way."

"Cool!"

There was a timid tap on the door. The three of them looked at the door to see Lily, wearing a green dress decorated with bright orange flowers. She had somehow managed to curl her hair, and she was grinning widely.

James's eyes widened. "Wow, Lil. What happened?"

She glared at him before saying, "Mum says you have to get ready for the party. You too, Rose, your mum asked for you to go downstairs."

"Do we have to dress up that much? Because I'll kill myself if Mum pulls out the dress robes," Al said uneasily.

"No, you don't, trousers and a collared shirt, she said. And, quote, 'Tell them to at least try to tame their hair.' Dad heard that and just laughed, though."

"Then why are you so dolled up?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's a dress, James," she said quietly. "It's just for... fun."

"Sure it's not just for _Lorcan_?" The oldest Potter asked her.

Her face grew redder than her hair and she stormed out, muttering about stupid brothers. Rose went down to find her mum thrusting a red jumper and black skirt upon her. After quickly changing, she came into the kitchen to look at the Weasley clock change from home to travelling slowly at every person. The old clock had been 'repaired' by Granddad Weasley and now was large enough to fit everyone in the extended Weasley clan, plus Teddy Lupin. When Min's family's hands all went to travelling the Burrow inhabitants left for Luna's.

They arrived at the Scamander house a few minutes later. Immediately, Rose's mother whispered, "Oh, she didn't."

"A weather bubble," Uncle Harry breathed.

"Aren't those horribly difficult?" Aunt Ginny asked.

"It's Luna," Rose's father said matter-of-factly, as if it explained everything. To be honest, it seemed to be capable of explaining lots.

Rose stared at what apparently was a 'weather bubble'. The snow that was lightly falling did not fall for several feet from Luna's house in every direction. The party seemed to be taking place entirely outside. They walked through what seemed to be the barrier and it suddenly felt like a lovely 70 degrees. Luna ran outside and waved. "Hello, everyone! There are a few people inside but if you'd like to stay out here..."

"Well, actually—" her father said, but her mother cut him off immediately.

"Yes, we'll just stay here," she said quickly, and steered the entire group away from the door. Luna rushed back inside.

"What was that for?" her father asked. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Did you see her face? She was begging us not to come in."

"Why?"

Rose's mum gestured to the window. Her dad looked through it to see Neville alone in the kitchen apart from Luna. Mistletoe seemed to be a very prominent plant in the kitchen, even for this particular house. Ron nodded knowingly and walked away. Lily spotted Lorcan and Lysander and ran right to them. Rose watched as the little girl spun around and giggled while Lorcan looked extremely bashful. Lysander looked extremely uncomfortable and also a bit bored. Suddenly Rose felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Min, who looked like she was about to die. She was panting, looked disheveled, and probably couldn't be more annoyed.

"Er, what happened to you?" Rose asked, half-joking. Min glared at her.

"Cousins." Rose looked confused and she sighed. "Not you. The French ones. Lucas and Charlotte. Both are loud, both won't leave me alone, and both keep babbling about their boyfriends. Whom I don't know, if anyone cares!"

Rose giggled at Min's predicament. Suddenly she was confused. "Both...have boyfriends?"

Min rolled her eyes. "We're part veela, we attract guys and guys only. I'm not sure anyone ever thought otherwise about Lucas."

"Does that mean Louis...?"

"Ah, from the way he acts around Lysander, I'd say probably."

Rose whipped around to see, sure enough, Louis with Lysander looking a great deal like Lily did with the other Scamander. "Oh."

"Anyway."

"Right. Anyway. They'll be going back to France soon, just ignore them."

"No, they won't," Min said almost frantically. "They're moving into Shell Cottage!"

"I didn't hear that part! What?!" Louis, who had at some point wandered over to the two of them, exclaimed.

"Yep, Lucas and Charlotte will always be here! How wonderful!"

"What about our vacations?" Louis said.

"Mum said, 'Oh, we can still go on them!' Likely," Min snorted. She suddenly gave him a sly grin. "At least you can stay here with the Scamander boys... specifically Four-Eyes."

Louis turned beet red, his eyes went wide, and he ran away. Rose sighed. "Go apologize."

"Fine," Min muttered, stomping after the little boy. Rose knew this was going to be one of those nights where she rediscovers just how insane her family is.

"Hi, Rose. Have you seen Victiore?" a voice said from behind her. Rose looked around and saw Teddy Lupin, tonight with green hair.

"Um, she's probably with Charlotte," Rose said. "I think they're still by the garden gate."

"Thanks, Happy Christmas!" he said as he rushed away.

Christmas dinner went on fairly uneventfully, by Weasley standards, but Rose suspected it still slightly frightened the Longbottoms and Scamanders—and you know you're crazy when you can shock Luna and the twins. But later as they were finishing dessert, Uncle Harry suddenly stood up, clutching his head and left the table. Al hissed and followed his father, rubbing his temples. Ginny sighed, looking concerned. "What happened?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure this is what it is, but it looks like—though I don't know why Al was affected... that scar hasn't hurt him in nearly 20 years, and now if that's what it is, if it's hurting—"

"I think I know why," Teddy said, looking extremely grim and staring at a point in the distant sky. The adults gasped and some of the older children did as well when they followed his gaze. "Oh, God," Rose's father said, standing up.

"What is it?" Rose asked. She finally looked in the same direction and gasped. She saw it. She had only heard of it, but she knew what it was.

A shape in the sky, a smoky apparition of a snake weaving through a skull.

The Dark Mark.


End file.
